Statement from Comptroller Susana Mendoza on passage of the fiscal year 2026 state budget

I am pleased the Governor and legislators completed their work on time in passing a budget for the next fiscal year beginning July 1. 

This budget aims to provide greater protection for medical programs, especially for safety-net hospitals, and funds key state priorities for needs like education, MAP grants for college students, social and human services, health care, nursing homes and public safety. 

I’m thankful to the Legislature for including $200 million to help pay down unpaid technology bills and stop the accrual of late payment interest penalties on them. 

Under this budget, Illinois’ Rainy Day Fund will continue to grow its record balance, which today stands at nearly $2.3 billion, with another $58 million expected by the end of the current fiscal year. We anticipate the fund to grow to nearly $2.5 billion by the end of the new fiscal year in June 2026. 

These Rainy Day Fund totals are a remarkable improvement from the past but still provide the state with only about 14 days of operations. Half the states in the country have at least 50 days of emergency reserves, so I will continue to advocate for more regular deposits into the Rainy Day Fund to get Illinois closer to that level of stability.  

I want to stress that the work may not be done. Constant threats of cuts to federal funding endanger some of the vital programs that serve our most vulnerable. My office will closely monitor the situation and continue to pay bills as quickly as possible with the available resources under this budget.   

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